Water ski reel



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 20, 1962 .INVENTOR. F/Cdd/PD C. h/asmv BY m Aria/P:

R. C. WILSON WATER SKI REEL Sept. 8, 1964 Filed April 20, 1962 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V INVENTOR. Flex/42a 6. Mzsou Arr-a2:

United States Patent 3,147,935 WATER SKI REEL Richard C. Wilson, Box 26, Champlin, Minn. Filed Apr. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 189,166 9 Ciairns. (CL 242-365) This invention relates to improvement in a reel structure for use in connection with a tow rope or cable such as would be used in connection with water sports, such as water skiing.

It is an object of this invention to provide a demountable tow rope reel which may be readily releasably mounted onto a boat or be hand held in operation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a boat mounted bracket for a tow rope reel, said bracket comprising means for in effect anchoring said rope to said boat to hold said reel free from any substantial degree of tension.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a rope guide in connection with said reel and bracket for winding said rope uniformly about said reel and to retain said rope onto said reel.

It is also an object of this invention to provide for readily increasing the transverse dimension of said rope for locking engagement with said bracket.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of applicants device on a reduced scale shown in operating position on a boat;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view showing applicants device in side elevation with a portion thereof broken away;

FIG. 3 is a broken view of applicants device in end elevation, with portions thereof broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 4 shows the reel portion of applicants device in hand operated position;

FIG. 5 is a broken view in perspective showing portions of applicants device in exploded position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a rope showing an enlargement thereof;

FIG. 7 is a view in elevation of a pellet as used in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the bracket portion of applicants device in locked position.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, applicants device 10 is shown in operating posi tion on a boat 12. Said boat 12 is shown to be of a common design of an outboard motor boat with applicants device being mounted on a gunwale 13 thereof.

With reference to FIGS. 25 ,applicants device comprises a base plate bracket 15 to be secured as to said gunwale 13 by bolts 16 and a bolt or post 17 having a long shank. The forward portion 15a of said plate bracket 15 is offset upwardly to be raised above the surface of said gunwale 13, and stamped out of said forward portion is a key slot 19 adjacent the leading edge portion thereof with a second auxiliary key slot 1% also being shown.

In connection with said bracket 15 adjacent one end thereof is a somewhat elongated bar-like hand-1e 29 having a flat side Zila from which extends at right angles thereto a shaft 21 shown here in the form of a bolt of suitable length which may be secured to said handle in any suitable manner, such as being threaded thereinto, as indicated in FIG. 3. Carried on said shaft is a spacer sleeve 22. Said shaft will have mounted thereon a reel 40 to be hereinafter described.

Adjacent the other end of said handle is a strap bracket 24 having an elongated base portion 25 extending outwardly parallel to and in alignment with said shaft 21.

Patented Sept. 8, 1964 Said base portion 25 has a relatively short right-angled end portion 26 secured to said handle by screws 27. Said portion 26 has a right-angled free end portion 28 extending over said base portion 25 and having an aperture 29 therein in vertical alignment with a like aperture 30 in said base portion 25. Said apertures will be of a diameter to receive said upstanding post 17 therethrough. Stamped out of said base portion 25 substantially centrally longitudinally thereof is an upstanding lug 31. Formed in the free end of said base portion 25 is an open-ended key slot 32 forming leg portions 34 and 35, with said leg portion 35 having a free end portion 36- angled upwardly to form an upstanding lug parallel to said lug 31. Said lugs 31 and 36 in the form of upstanding fingers will be spaced to accommodate said reel 40 as will hereinafter be described. Said leg portion 34 is shown to be somewhat shorter in length than said leg 35.

Said reel 4t) is arranged and constructed to be journaled on said shaft 21 and comprises a pair of concentric spaced circular plate members 41 and 42 forming end plates. Said plate members will be spaced apart to just nicely receive therebetween the lugs 31 and 36, as indicated in FIG. 3. Said leg 34 is of a length to have its end short of the adjacent end plate to have a space therebetween. Formed between said plate members 41 and 4-2 is a cylindrical hub 44 of substantial diameter secured to said plate members in any suitable manner, as by having its end portions seated in mating grooves in said plate members and being cemented therein. Said hub will be of a size to readily accommodate the tow rope or cable 59 which will be used.

Said hub is shown having therein for a portion of its width a slot 46 which is diminished to a slit 46a for the remainder of the width of said hub. The slot 4d will be of a width to accommodate the knotted end 51 of the rope 50, and a slit 46a will be of a width to permit the rope to pass therethrough but to retain the knot therein for a quickly releasable hold of the tow rope.

Said plates 41 and 42 will have axially aligned apertures 41a and 42a through which will pass the shaft 21. Shown mounted on what is referred to as the outside plate 41 is a knob handle 48 being held by a bolt 49 extended through said plate 42.

Removably disposable in said key slot 19 is a rope guide member 52 hereinafter referred to as a key. Said key is here shown as being generally in the form of a nut having an aperture 53 therethrough of a size to freely accommodate the tow rope 5t and having slots or grooves 55 therein at opposite sides thereof longitudinally of said aperture 53 and of a width to nicely accommodate the thickness of said plate bracket 15. Said key will be freely retained in the enlarged portion of the key slot 19 to swivel freely as the rope 50 disposed therethrough is moved from side to side in use. Said key is designed to lock in the smaller portion of the key slot at an angle to the normal direction of the cable.

In connection with the tow rope or cable 50, referring to FIG. 6, there is indicated a commonly used type of rope formed of braided strands 51a. This type of rope construction provides a strong rope. Said rope 50 will be disposed through the key 52, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Applicant as part of his invention provides a substantial improvement in enlarging the dimension of the rope for a locking engagement with the key 52, or more specifically an engagement which will not permit the rope to slip or pass through said key. This is in lieu of the usual custom of knotting the rope which results in a weakening of the rope, particularly through pressure contact as against the member such as said key.

As indicated in FIG. 7, applicant provides a pellet 56 of a suitable size made of a resilient material, such as rubber, and having sufficient density to yieldingly retain 1 ED its form under a substantial degree of pressure. Said pellet as illustrated will be substantially cylindrical with tapered end portions. At a desired point in the rope, the rope, in a manner of speaking, will be bunched together to loosen the strands or to separate the strands. The pellet will then be inserted between the separated strands to be positioned centrally of the rope to form a core and bulge the rope at such point. Thus the rope at such point will not be able to pass through the key 52. Moreover, the rope in bearing against the key will have a resilient pressure engagement due to the compressibility or yielding quality of the pellet. This is unlike the hard unyielding engagement of a knot which is a cause of abrasive wear.

Operation In operation, the base bracket 15 normally will be mounted on the gunwale 13 of a boat. The reel 49 Will be journaled onto the shaft 21 and the strap bracket 24 will be removably seated onto the bracket 15 with the post 17 extending upwardly through the apertures 3b and 29, and the slot 32 will be seated about the cap or head portion of the bolt 16 which is transversely spaced from said post 17. Said post and head portion will extend upwardly a sufiicient distance for a good locking engagement with said bracket 2d.

The upstanding fingers 31 and 36 will be disposed between the plates 41 and 42 forming the sides of said reel and will extend upwardly within the peripheral edge portions thereof to serve as a retainer for the tow rope 50 carried on said reel. The key 50 in guiding said rope also tends to retain said rope on said reel.

The extended end of the rope not here shown will be equipped with a cross bar for holding purposes in a well known manner.

The near end portion of the rope 50 will be disposed through the aperture key or guide 52 and will have a knot R formed adjacent the end thereof. Said knotted end will be disposed within the slot 46 to be Within the hub 44, and the rope 545 will be moved within the slit 46a, which slit will retain the knotted end.

The operator will grasp the handle 20 with one hand bearing down on the same and will grasp the knob 48 with his other hand. The knob will be mounted to rotate freely. The reel will then be rotated forwardly to wind the rope thereabout. The upstanding fingers 31 and 36 Very nicely retain the rope on the reel. The key 52 swivels as the rope is wound to evenly distribute the rope across the width of the hub.

In having the rope 5t drawn out, it passes through the key 52, which key swivels to accommodate itself to the changing directions in which the rope may be pulled. Further, when the rope is fully extended and is moved from side to side, as is common in water skiing, the swivel action of the key avoids abrasive action between the rope and the key by providing for a straight pull of the rope through the aperture in said key.

The applicant has provided a novel locking engagement between the rope and the key. Instead of knotting the rope, as is customary and which leads to abrasive wear, the applicant inserts the resilient pellet 55 into said rope, as indicated in FTGS. 6 and 7, and has hereinbefore been described. The pellet will be of a size to bulge the rope sufiiciently to prevent passage through the aperture in said key 52. The pellet is adapted for use with a braided rope. This is a common type of rope used particularly in connection with synthetic fibers. A knot of course may be used, but it would result in abrasive wear in having engagement with said key and in being jerked thereagainst. Applicant provides an enlargement or bulge in the rope which has a resilient core formed by the pellet and this tends to distribute evenly about the rope the effects of a tight pull or jarring pulls against the key, and the resilience present tends to absorb much of this effect. Moreover, the position of the pellet may readily be changed or moved without any apparent effect on the rope. When a tight knot is undone, it leaves evidence of its presence, such as kinks in the strands of the rope or worn strands which tend to weaken the rope. A change in position of applicants pellet leaves the rope substantially unimpaired or unmarked.

It is noted here that with the rope in locking engagement with the key 52 and the key secured in the base bracket 15, the full load of the strain on the rope is borne by the boat to which the base plate is anchored and not by the reel itself. This feature represents a substantial improvement in a reel design, and permits using a light weight reel.

In the event it is desired to hold the reel in hand, it is readily removed from the base bracket 15 by an upward movement. If it is desired to remove the key 52 from the key slot 19, said key is simply turned ninety degrees to have the grooves therein transversely of the key slot, and said key may be slipped out very readily.

In holding the reel 49 in hand by the handle 2% the upstanding fingers 31 and 36 with the portion of the bracket therebetween form a transverse peripheral enclosure for said reel which eifectively serves to retain said rope 54] onto said reel in being wound thereon.

In removing the reel from the plate bracket 15, as for storing the same, and with the rope 50 wound thereon, by simply raising one of the subsurface loops 50a of said rope from about the hub of said reel and passing it over the shorter leg 34 and into the enlarged closed end portion of the slot 32, as indicated in FIG. 8, the handle 20 and bracket 24 are very simply and securely locked in position relative to said reel.

Thus the applicant has provided an improved construction of a Very etficient and easy to use reel structure in connection with a tow rope.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A reel structure in connection with a boat comprising a plate bracket mountable on the gunwale of a boat,

a handle carried by said bracket,

a reel rotatably mounted onto said handle,

a bracket carried by said handle removably mountable onto said plate bracket,

a rope guide mounted on said plate bracket,

a rope carried on said reel running on said guide, and

means for enlarging the transverse dimension of said rope for locking engagement of said rope with said guide.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1,

said reel comprising spaced end plate members and a hub therebetween,

a post upstanding from said plate bracket,

said bracket on said handle comprising an elongated portion extending transversely of said reel, and

a pair of spaced lugs upstanding from said elongated portion of said handle bracket extending inwardly of the peripheral portions of said reel.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1,

a key slot in said plate bracket, and

a key comprising an apertured nut having peripheral grooves at either side thereof longitudinally of said aperture, with said nut being removably disposable in said key slot.

4. The structure set forth in claim 1, said last mentioned means comprising a resilient pellet disposed within the core of said rope to increase the transverse dimen- 7 5 sion of said rope.

5. A reel structure in connection with a boat comprising a plate bracket mounted on the gunwale of a boat,

a handle carried by said bracket,

a shaft extending outwardly of said handle,

an elongated bracket extending outwardly of said handle spaced from said shaft and substantially parallel thereto,

a reel journaled on said shaft comprising spaced end plates and a hub therebetween, said hub having a slot therein,

a rope guide swivel mounted in said plate bracket,

a rope, said rope having one end portion lockingly engaged in said slot in said hub and passing through said guide, and

means in connection with said rope for increasing the transverse dimension thereof for locking engagement with said rope guide whereby the load on said rope is borne by said guide and said plate bracket.

6. A reel structure in connection with a boat having in combination,

a handle,

a reel journaled onto said handle,

means supporting said handle extending transversely of said reel enclosing a transverse peripheral portion of said reel,

a plate bracket mounted on said boat, and

means for removably retaining said last mentioned means onto said plate bracket.

7. The structure set forth in claim 6,

a rope carried on said reel,

a rope guide swiveled onto said plate bracket having said rope pass therethrough, and

means for enlarging the width of said rope for locking engagement with said rope guide to have said rope guide and plate bracket bear the load on said rope.

8. The structure set forth in claim 6,

said first mentioned means comprising a strap bracket having an open-ended slot at its free end forming a pair of spaced leg portions,

one of said leg portions having an angled free end portion forming an upstanding lug,

a second lug upstanding from said bracket spaced inwardly of said bracket from said first lug,

said lugs being spaced to be disposed Within a peripheral edge portion of said reel transversely thereof.

9. The structure set forth in claim 8,

said other leg portion being of a length short of the adjacent end plate of said reel having a space therebetween whereby a loop of said rope about said reel is disposable through said space and about said other leg portion to lock said strap bracket in position relative to said reel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,299,334 Hanson Apr. 1, 1919 2,637,084 Lorentzen May 5, 1953 2,816,310 Nale Dec. 17, 1957 3,029,041 Child Apr. 10, 1962 

1. A REEL STRUCTURE IN CONNECTION WITH A BOAT COMPRISING A PLATE BRACKET MOUNTABLE ON THE GUNWALE OF A BOAT, A HANDLE CARRIED BY SAID BRACKET, A REEL ROTATABLY MOUNTED ONTO SAID HANDLE, A BRACKET CARRIED BY SAID HANDLE REMOVABLY MOUNTABLE ONTO SAID PLATE BRACKET, A ROPE GUIDE MOUNTED ON SAID PLATE BRACKET, A ROPE CARRIED ON SAID REEL RUNNING ON SAID GUIDE, AND MEANS FOR ENLARGING THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OF SAID ROPE FOR LOCKING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID ROPE WITH SAID GUIDE. 